When should I replace my car's timing belt?

Question: "Now, my car is only a little over two years old, but since I live and commute in Arizona, it already has over 59,000 miles on the odometer. I recently took it to my mechanic for an oil change and general inspection and the Service Advisor there tells me: "It's time to replace your ‘timing belt' and this will cost around $400." So I asked her what would happen if I didn't replace it till next year, and she told me: "Most manufacturers recommend replacing the timing belt at 60,000 miles because if it breaks there could be severe engine damage." I've never heard of ‘severe engine damage' from just a broken belt. What's up with that?"

On most cars with a timing belt (as opposed to a timing chain) you do need to replace it at 60,000 miles. There's no way to tell if it's weakened or not by a visual inspection, and if this belt breaks it can cause major (thousands of dollars) engine damage on cars with an interference type engine.